Forearm shrank?

[10-Ring]

Scratching my head and banging it against the wall.  I took this Winchester Ranger 140 (cheap version of the 1400) apart and refinished the wood.  Apparently the forearm shrank up while it was off.  I cleaned it good using citrus stripper and soaked it in hot water to get the old oils out.  Then I refinished it with TruOil.  I attempted to put it back together last night and the forearm is not even close to fitting.  Sorry, the pictures don't do a great job of showing how it doesn't fit.  The magazine ring on the barrel should slide right into the end of the forearm.  It's not even close.  Had I not taken it apart myself I would even think that it was the correct part.  Gun had been apart for about 6 weeks.  Anyone heard of wood shrinking up like that?

Edited July 30, 2019 by 10-Ring
I Kant spell gud

[DaveTN]

Nah, that appears to be nearly an inch. You have to be missing something. Nothing is impossible, so I would try to have someone tell me what the length of the forearm is, so I could put that idea to rest.

[E4 No More]

While wood does expand and contract with heat and humidity it wouldn't be anywhere near that much on a short piece of wood. My guess is you're missing a part - perhaps a spacer? 

Edited July 30, 2019 by E4 No More

[WFM]

I would think soaking wood in hot water could possibly change the way it would fit after it dried. I've had hard wood floors get wet and swell and never go back to fit correctly.

[MP5_Rizzo]

I think something is missing or barrel is not fully seated.  Check against a schematic and the forearm spacers below.

Edited July 30, 2019 by MP5_Rizzo

[10-Ring]

The spacer is about the size of a washer and goes on the magazine time right under the cap AFTER the forearm had already been installed.  

[MP5_Rizzo]

20 minutes ago, 10-Ring said:

The spacer is about the size of a washer and goes on the magazine time right under the cap AFTER the forearm had already been installed.

I'm not seeing the magazine tube in your picture.  I think that's going to change the relationship of where the forearm and barrel line up.

[10-Ring]

Dampened the wood and set it in the sun for a few hours.  Everything went back together nicely.